When we decided to go to California to visit my family, we ultimately decided to drive all the way home to Pennsylvania- a road trip across America, if you will. So, when we got to Sacramento, we rented a car , and made a plan. We booked hotel rooms in cities along the route and planned to be driving for a week (we actually made it in 6 days)!
Here is the route we decided to take:
Sacramento to Salt Lake City
There isn’t a whole lot to say about our first day of driving except for desert. We left Sacramento around 6 am, then drove through the entirety of Nevada until we reached Utah and Salt Lake City. Nevada gave us a couple challenges in the way of rest stops (most were closed), and if you are taking I-80, plan to stop in Elko, NV because there really is not a whole lot of anything else on the way through.
Once we got to Utah, we decided to stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats for some photos. The Salt Flats are so cool- completely flat, solid salt that gets many visitors every year- including some top speed racing. Highly recommend stopping if driving by.
Tip: Do not put “Bonneville Salt Flats” into Google if heading there eastbound. Google will tell you to go past it and backtrack, adding about a half hour onto the trip. Instead, use the latitude and longitude coordinates of 40°45’45.3″N 113°53’46.3″W and it will take you to a parking area and you can’t miss it from there.
In Salt Lake. City, we only had a few hours before we needed to go to bed but we made the most of it. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown and then walked to Gracie’s Pub and enjoyed a few drinks and wonderful food including a caprese flatbread and some coconut shrimp!
We weren’t quite ready to go to bed yet so we ventured to Squatter’s Pub for another drink and more food. Definitely suggest stopping there if you are a fan of craft beer!
Salt Lake City to Denver
We woke up at what we thought was 4 am, but really was 5 am because our phone’s clock did not adjust correctly, but after a stop for gas, we were on our way! The rain picked up quickly and it was very dark, and the stress of me not driving through it was too much for me. So, I curled up in my blanket, grabbed my neck pillow, and took a nap.
After a couple hours, I was awoken when we stopped at a rest area and it was snowing. We were in Wyoming, it looked like it was a blizzard and I only had flip flops. Thankfully it was a short stop and we were back on the road in no time but boy were my feet cold! By the time we got to Colorado, it was sunny and beautiful!
We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Downtown Denver and it was absolutely beautiful! We were lucky enough to be upgraded to a suite and it was nice to take a whole day off from driving explore Denver!
We met up with some friends, drank some beer, and had so much fun exploring Denver. Some of my favorite highlights:
Tap 14 Rooftop– a large rooftop for drinking beer and hanging out with your friends!
Thirsty Lion Gastropub– wonderful place to stop for lunch and people watch!
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery– great place for dinner, was right across the street from our hotel!
The Love this City, Denver mural located on the corner of Broadway and Arapahoe Street.
Denver to Kansas City, MO
Our next stop was Kansas City, MO and the drive from Denver was pretty uneventful. When we arrived to Kansas City, we knew we wanted barbecue and so I googled which places in Kansas City Guy Fieri had visited for Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives and came across B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ.
We ordered take out and took it back to our hotel, Kansas City Downtown Marriott and the food was absolutely incredible! The hotel was very nice as well, even having room service, which is rare for COVID traveling I have found.
Kansas City, MO to Indianapolis
Another mostly uninterrupted day of driving got us from Kansas City to Indianapolis where we stayed at the Le Meridian. Another gorgeous hotel and we got upgraded to a suite, which was beautiful! The restaurant in the hotel was open and a great spot to grab an after dinner drink to take up to your room or grab breakfast- I recommend the avocado toast!
For dinner, our hotel was right next to the famous St. Elmo Steakhouse, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The shrimp cocktail is famous and so yummy, the steaks were amazing, and the potatoes romanoff was incredible! 10/10 recommend!
Indianapolis to Pittsburgh
Our final stretch of the trip was a quick one, only a few hours and then we ended up in Pittsburgh! We stayed at the Courtyard Downtown and had a pretty easy night. We grabbed dinner at The Standard Market downstairs from the hotel and had a couple drinks.
Overall, our road trip was a success! We made it home with no issues and we made it back in time for weekly happy hour!
Have you ever done a road trip across America? Let me know in the comments below!